sounds that exceed 80 decibels is an anthology that contains poetry, monologues and performance pieces written by 15 women. It raises the voices of women that are often marginalized in mainstream British Society which includes women of diverse heritage and identity. All the writers in this anthology are women of colour, and/or identify as LBT.

Cultureword started the Women In The Spotlight (WITS) programme to address the lack of women competing and performing on stage. We found that the winners for poetry slam competitions were overwhelmingly men. We wanted to know why. We held panels and events to find out how things could be changed. Based on the feedback, we decided the best way to do this was to develop a programme for women who want to write for and/or perform on the stage.

The challenge for women, particularly women identifying as LBT+ and/or BAME, is to have our voices heard. The title sounds that exceed 80 decibels came from a conversation that took place at a WITS workshop. Ears exposed to over 80 decibels continuously, can become damaged. As women, we are often told that we need to be more assertive, that we need to speak louder. When we do, we are told we’re being aggressive. The problem is simple. We are not being heard. We will be heard.